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Monday, September 23, 2013

Kenseth Takes Control With Dominant NH Win

Photo: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

One week ago, Matt Kenseth downplayed the importance
of his Chase-opening victory at Chicagoland Speedway, saying the real story
would be told in Loudon, New Hampshire, “a totally different kind of track, (with
a) totally different style of racing."

Seven days later, he stood in Victory Lane at
New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first time in his NASCAR career, in firm
command of a championship drive that now may be just eight weeks from completion.

"To me, a win at Loudon is more than a
stretch,” said Kenseth. “It’s more than a dream, because it's probably one of
my worst (tracks). That just shows you how good this whole team is.

"You never go to the track and hope to
just get through a weekend," said Kenseth, who now leads NHMS runner up
Kyle Busch by 14 points and five-time champ Jimmie Johnson by 18 in the battle
for the 2013 championship. “But if I had to pick from all the races, this is probably
the one that I had more anxiety over. I was a little
worried about this weekend… because it's been a tough track for me. We had a
pretty good car in the spring, and I messed it up.

“I really feel like
I'm the weak link here,” he said. “It's tough to pass (and) it's easy to get
shuffled back on a restart and not get a good finish."

Crew chief Jason Ratcliff begged to differ,
saying, “Matt doesn't give himself nearly enough credit. Restarts are key here,
especially when you know most of the guys are going to have either old
left-side tires or old right-side tires. It makes it difficult to get going.

"His restarts were exceptional
today," said Ratcliff, "and I think that's one of the keys that got
us the victory."

Kenseth’s five regular-season victories were
a 2013 series best. And now, with back-to-back wins to start the Chase, he and
his Joe Gibbs Racing team have served notice – loud and clear – that they are
the team to beat for the championship.

His Loudon victory also portends well for the
future. The New Hampshire oval is similar in layout to Phoenix International
Raceway, site of the season’s penultimate race and a track where he has managed
just one win in 22 career Sprint Cup starts. The Wisconsin native has always thrived on
1.5-mile ovals -- which comprise exactly half of the remaining schedule – and with
flat one-milers now on his personal win list, there may be nothing left to keep
him from a second career Sprint Cup crown.

There are still challengers for the title,
however.

Shrugging off his reputation as a perennial Chase
fizzler, Busch has raced to runner-up finishes behind Kenseth in each of the
last two weeks. In marked contrast to seasons past, when mechanical failures
and petty distractions have sidelined his effort, the M&Ms Toyota driver
seems focused on the big picture this time around.

"I've said for years that if I could
finish second in every Chase race, I'd take it and win a championship," said
Busch Sunday. "To win a Chase race doesn't mean anything. It's all about
the championship.

“We’re off to a fast start,” smiled Busch, “but
somebody else is faster."

Johnson is also not about to concede defeat
with eight races still to run.

"To open with a five-four (finish) is
great, but a one-one like Matt's had is obviously a lot better," he said.
"But we're in a good spot. We're not giving up too many points and we're
going to one of my best race tracks next week at Dover."

It’s not over yet, but with two races in the
book, Kenseth stands tallest of all.

"I'm thankful to be part of this
group," said Kenseth Sunday, celebrating in Victory Lane after his 500th
career Sprint Cup Series start. "It honestly doesn't seem real that we won
today."

1 comment:

Congrats to Matt and his crew on their second win in a row. If he wins it all, he'll make an excellent champion. Congrats to Kyle and his crew for his 2nd second place finish. As good as that is, it's got to bite just a bit. Congrats even to Jeff Gordon and his crew on their 3rd place finish. (Yes, I know he didn't finish third but NASCAR will step in and correct that problem to keep him happy)